Chick Spontaneous Death

[peepinglaura]

One of my hens hatched out 3 eggs last Thursday. The chicks all seemed very strong from the get-go, and still seemed strong at noon today Yet, by 3, one had died. No notice, no lameness, nothing. How weird is that? Are spontaneous chick deaths at 5 days common? I was really surprised.

Laura

 

[sammi]

it would be hard to guess the cause of the death..
could have been injured, or cold, maybe bullied away from feed.
did you check the vent for pasting?
did you check the crop?
any runny droppings?
what bedding are you using?
was the hen and chicks separated from others?

 

[peepinglaura]

The hen is an awesome mama, very doting and protective. It had lots of access to chick feed and water. Crop, vent, and droppings were just dandy, as far as I could see. It was out free ranging with mama, in a clean area. It did leak a little clear fluid from its beak post mortem. It seemed just fine an hour before its death. There was no visible cause/ danger, no blood.

Laura